Friday, November 12, 2010

In Brazil, a native fruit called mangaba is often confused by non-Portuguese speakers with mango (manga in Portuguese) because of the similarity of their names - mangaba/manga. However there is no botanical connection between the two fruits, and culinarily no connection in flavor. The mango is native to the Indian subcontinent and has spread around the world, being cultivated in almost every tropical area. The mangaba (Hancornia speciosa) is native to Brazil and is almost exclusively cultivated there to this day. Although it's an extremely popular fruit in Brazil, particularly in the northeast, it's almost unknown outside the country.

The mangaba fruit is a round yellow-to-red colored ball about the size of a baseball. The interior of the fruit is white with a number of small seeds. When the fruit is ripe, the pulp is so soft it practically melts in the mouth. The flavor is sweet and the fruit is highly perfumed. In the native Tupi-Guarani language which gave the fruit its name mangaba means (straightforwardly) "fruit that is good to eat." Few contemporary Brazilians would beg to differ with their native ancestors.

The tree which produces the mangaba fruit, known as the mangabeira, is related to the plumeria (or frangipani) tree which is known in places like Hawaii, Florida and Mexico for it's beautiful waxy, perfumed flowers. The mangabeira is also cultivated in Brazil for its beautiful red wood, and its latex produces a pink-hued rubber. It is also very useful in apiculture, as honey bees are attracted to its flowers and their nectar.

In Brazil, mangaba is enjoyed fresh, and also is used in the production of juice, ice cream, sweets and conserves, and in fruit wine. In Sergipe, the small northeastern state which produces the bulk of Brazilian mangaba, mangaba-flavored ice cream and pulp concentrates are the most consumed flavors of any fruit. Fresh mangaba is normally only available in the northeastern region of Brazil, as it is very perishable once ripe, but juices, ice creams and frozen pulp are available everywhere in Brazil.

Mangaba juice can be combined with cachaça to make a delicious caipifruta cocktail. Or it can be drunk as a eye-opener juice first thing in the morning. It's a very easy flavor to like, uncomplicated, sweet and delicious. Just one more Flavor of Brazil that requires a journey to Brazil to know - and it's worth the journey.